Bathroom Renovation #2 - Tongue and Groove Planks

I've always hated drywall. I have limited experience working with it but I know it's a messy install and it feels hollow and cheap. I know drywall absorbs water like a sponge and weakens to nothing after water damage. One can easily kick holes in drywall or even do so by swinging a door handle into it. When it punctures or tears you see paper. It costs about $6 for a 4 X 8 sheet. How good can this stuff be? I just don't get it.

After Goggling "solid wood tongue and groove planks", something I had been toying with, all I see are post after post of people complaining about wood planks on their walls. Oh the horror! There are countless more articles on removing wood planks or covering them with drywall then anything praising both their aesthetic qualities and durability. What's up with this? My two favorite rooms in my 1920's house are those with the original pine planks.

So when it came time to determine a wall covering for our bathroom walls where the old tile used to be, I talked Melissa into tongue and groove planks hung horizontally. My original plan was to buy a router bit to cut the tongue and grooves. But my work colleague, Dave, brought me some samples of clean yellow southern pine sold at Lowes and HomeDepot that had the tongues and grooves cut already. Although, it would have been more fun to cut them myself, I went with Dave's easier suggestion.


The damn panels are a joy to hang and are thus far the most satisfying part of this bathroom renovation. They look a little country-ish now, for my tastes, but once painted, I think I'll get the old ship-type look I want.